{"id":8511,"date":"2023-06-13T14:40:54","date_gmt":"2023-06-13T14:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/?p=8511"},"modified":"2024-06-26T14:39:27","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T14:39:27","slug":"ux-storyboard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/ux-storyboard\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide to storyboarding in UX: What are they, what\u2019s their role in UX design, and how do you create one?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve probably heard of storyboarding in relation to films, animations, and video games. But did you know that they are also an extremely valuable UX design tool?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In UX and product design, storyboards are used to visualise the user\u2019s experience with a product or service. They map out the user\u2019s actions in chronological order, creating a comic strip-style depiction of their journey from A to B within a specific context or scenario.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But why is this useful? What are the benefits of storyboarding for UX, and how can you incorporate storyboards into your own design process?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We cover everything you need to know in this guide. Consider it your ultimate storyboarding handbook, complete with a step-by-step process you can follow to create your own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep reading to learn:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-are-storyboards\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are storyboards and how are they used in UX design?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#where-do-storyboards-fit\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where do storyboards fit into the UX and product design process?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-are-the-benefits-of-storyboarding\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the benefits of storyboarding in UX design?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-are-the-key-elements-of-a-storyboard\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the key elements of a storyboard?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#how-do-you-create-a-storyboard\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you create a storyboard? Step-by-step guide<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#what-are-the-best-storyboarding-software-and-tools\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are the best storyboarding software and tools?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"#in-summary\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In summary<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, let\u2019s define what storyboarding is and how it relates to UX.<\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"promotion\" class=\"promotion-content-raw inlinepromo inlinepromo_professional-diploma-in-ux-designp-1 my-4\" style=\"\">\n\t<div class=\"w-container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-12 promotion-info\">\n                <a class=\"link-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/courses\/ux-design?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog_panel_pdux&utm_campaign=blog_promo\" style=\"\">\n                    <p>[GET CERTIFIED IN UX]<\/p>\n                    <span>Take our Professional Diploma in UX Design course<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<h2><strong><a id=\"what-are-storyboards\"><\/a>What is a storyboard and how is it used in UX design?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A storyboard is a sequence of illustrations used to visually depict a story or narrative. It breaks the story down into individual scenes, mapping them out in chronological order so you can see, step by step, how the story unfolds\u2014just like a comic strip.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The storyboarding technique was developed by Walt Disney Studios in the 1930s as a way to construct coherent stories that would later become the animated films we all know and love.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>So what do they have to do with UX?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In UX and product design, storyboards are used to visually map out the user\u2019s experience with a product or service. They consider the different steps a user might go through when interacting with the product, predicting likely scenarios and sketching out what happens at each stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just as Disney\u2019s animators used storyboards to carve out a coherent and compelling narrative, UX and product designers use boards to map out the story of the user (the main character in the story) and the product. In doing so, they can identify \u201cplot holes\u201d, i.e. gaps or roadblocks within the user experience, and identify opportunities to write a better story for the user\u2014i.e. to design a better user experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Storyboards also serve as a communication tool, helping designers to express and communicate their ideas in a way that\u2019s quick, engaging, and memorable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"where-do-storyboards-fit\"><\/a>Where do storyboards fit into the UX and product design process? When should you create them?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/ux-design-process\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX design process<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> begins with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/user-research-in-ux-design\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">user research<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and defining the problem to be solved. From there, designers focus on ideation, coming up with potential solutions and choosing one to take forward. With a solution in mind, the process moves to designing, prototyping, and validating that solution before it\u2019s developed and launched. After launch, continuous <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/why-ux-testing-is-so-important\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX testing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> seeks to improve, update, and add to the existing product in line with the user\u2019s needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s the UX design process in a nutshell. So where does storyboarding come into play?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be useful at various stages of the UX\/product design process. You can use them:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>After user research, before defining the problem and ideating solutions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. boards are great for organising your research data, pulling out key themes, and turning your findings into a visual story about your users. In what scenarios do they use your existing product or encounter the problem space you\u2019re exploring? What issues do they run into along the way?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By presenting your research findings as a comic strip-style story, you can (quite literally) paint a picture of the problem space. This makes it easier to communicate and share your research findings, but also to guide you towards defining the right problem and coming up with solutions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>As part of the ideation process. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve done your user research and defined the problem you need to solve. As you come up with different solutions, storyboarding enables you to visualise them in action. If you develop solution X, how will the user interact with it? Does it address the necessary pain-points or generate new issues? How does it compare to solution Y? Mapping out potential solutions helps you to evaluate their validity before moving on to design and development.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Throughout the design phase to guide product decisions. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just as you might refer back to your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-are-ux-personas\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">user personas<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to remind you of who you\u2019re designing for and what they need, they can be a useful \u201cnorth star\u201d throughout the design phase. Creating storyboards, or referring back to existing ones, can help to keep the user\u2019s pain-points at the forefront, enabling you to prioritise their needs and make user-focused design decisions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those are some scenarios where storyboards can come in handy. Now let\u2019s dive deeper into the benefits of storyboarding for UX.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"promotion\" class=\"promotion-content-raw inlinepromo inlinepromo_professional-certificate-in-content-designp-1 my-4\" style=\"\">\n\t<div class=\"w-container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-12 promotion-info\">\n                <a class=\"link-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/courses\/content-design?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog_panel_text&utm_campaign=blog_promo\" style=\"\">\n                    <p>[GET CERTIFIED IN CONTENT DESIGN]<\/p>\n                    <span>Take our Professional Certificate in Content Design course<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<h2><strong><a id=\"what-are-the-benefits-of-storyboarding\"><\/a>What are the benefits of storyboarding in UX design?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thanks to their visual, concise, and sequential nature, storyboards are an excellent way to leverage <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/storytelling-in-ux-design\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the power of storytelling in UX design<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Let\u2019s consider the main benefits of storyboarding and why storyboards are such a valuable UX tool.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Storyboards enable you to communicate your ideas quickly and clearly<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our brains are wired to process images much faster than text\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">60,000 times faster<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, in fact. With storyboards, you can present your findings and ideas in a way that\u2019s quick and easy for others to digest. This helps to foster collaboration and dialogue among key stakeholders, to build a shared understanding of the problem space, and to get buy-in for your proposed solutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>In short: UX storyboards are easy to process and understand, making them a powerful communication tool.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Storyboards centre the user and cultivate empathy<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How many times have you heard that empathy is crucial for good UX? The various steps in the UX process\u2014and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/ux-design-principles\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the fundamental principles of UX<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014are all geared towards meeting the user\u2019s needs and generally designing an experience that will benefit them. Storyboards are no exception.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Storyboards centre the user by positioning them as the main character. So, as you create your storyboards, you have no choice but to consider the experience from your user\u2019s perspective. That\u2019s user-centric design at its best!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, storyboards present the user\u2019s experience in a way that\u2019s more engaging and relatable than, say, plain text or simple diagrams. This can help stakeholders who are not involved in the design process\u2014and perhaps not so accustomed to prioritising the user\u2014to empathise with their needs and better understand your ideas and design decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>In short: Storyboards put your end user into the role of main character, ensuring a user-first design process and helping to cultivate empathy across the board.<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Save time and money<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Storyboarding alone is not a sufficient means for validating your ideas, but it can help you to explore their potential before investing in any further design or development. You can take any seedling of an idea and quickly sketch out a storyboard which depicts that idea in action.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In doing so, you may uncover \u201cplot holes\u201d and realise that, actually, this idea isn\u2019t worth pursuing. Or you might find that it appears to work well and is worth exploring further. With storyboarding, you can get a preliminary look at how your ideas might perform in the real world, with real users\u2014allowing you to eliminate unsuitable ideas before you spend any real time or money on them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>In short: Storyboarding can be used to explore early-stage ideas and evaluate their potential, making sure you don\u2019t waste time (or money) focusing on the wrong solution.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So far, we\u2019ve established what a storyboard is, why it\u2019s a useful UX tool, and how you can incorporate it into your design process. For the second half of our guide, let\u2019s get into the practicalities of creating a storyboard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"what-are-the-key-elements-of-a-storyboard\"><\/a>What are the key elements of a storyboard?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we outline the storyboarding process, it\u2019s helpful to consider all the key elements that make up a storyboard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main components are:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>A specific scenario: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is like the title of your story, summing up what the storyboard is about. It also references the persona who will feature in your storyboard. For example: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellis, a single parent, wants to open a savings account for his\/her\/their children.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>A main character: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every good story has a protagonist, as does every good storyboard! As specified in your storyboard scenario, the story you\u2019re telling will focus on a specific user persona and their interaction with\/experience of the problem space and\/or your product. You might provide a brief bullet-point summary of the persona beneath the storyboard scenario. For example: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ellis, 43 years old, single parent to two children aged 5 and 8; works full-time, average income. Relatively tech-savvy but doesn\u2019t have much time; needs a straightforward and manageable saving solution.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Visuals: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Storyboards comprise a series of panels or frames, with each frame depicting a step in the narrative. This narrative is communicated mostly through visuals, so you\u2019ll need to fill each blank frame with sketches or images (e.g. photos or illustrations). The type of visuals will depend on the fidelity of your storyboard and the tools you\u2019re using\u2014are you going for low-fidelity pencil sketches or a high-fidelity digital format?<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Accompanying text: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each frame in your storyboard sequence should be accompanied by some explanatory text which helps to clarify and\/or elaborate on what\u2019s being depicted visually. This describes, in brief, what the user is doing, the context in which they\u2019re doing it, and how they\u2019re feeling in the process.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s the framework of a UX storyboard. Now: How do you go about creating one? Let\u2019s find out.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"how-do-you-create-a-storyboard\"><\/a>How do you create a storyboard? Step-by-step guide<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve divided the process into seven key steps. Ready? Here\u2019s how to create a storyboard:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Define the purpose<\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Compile any data and artefacts you\u2019ll use to inform<\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Gather your tools<\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Craft your scenario statement<\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Draft your story in writing<\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Add visuals and accompanying text<\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Present<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And now in more detail\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Define the purpose<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you get started on your storyboard, it\u2019s important to have a clear goal in mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why are you creating a one? What will it help you to achieve? What stage of the design process is it supporting you with?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier in this guide, we outlined some common scenarios where storyboards can come in handy\u2014for example, to visualise and make sense of your user research data, as part of the ideation process, or as a low-stakes way to evaluate your early-stage ideas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having a clearly-defined goal will enable you to determine the scenario and user persona your storyboard will focus on, as well as who should be involved in the storyboarding process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you clear on your goals? Then proceed to step two!<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Compile useful data and artefacts\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How you approach this step will depend on the goal of your storyboard and at what stage of the design process you\u2019re creating it (as covered in step one).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re building a storyboard to visualise user research data, gather that data and, if necessary, condense it into key points. This might be responses from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/user-surveys-for-ux-research\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">user surveys<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, transcripts from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/user-interviews-for-ux-research\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">user interviews<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or insights from usability tests.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the absence of data (for example, if you\u2019re creating storyboards as part of the ideation process), compile any artefacts or documentation that might be useful. For example, if you\u2019ve got a well-defined user persona\u2014or a set of personas, even\u2014you might want those close by while you work on your storyboard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Prepare your tools<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, have your\u00a0 tools at the ready. The tools you use will depend on whether you\u2019re creating a low-fidelity, hand-drawn storyboard or a higher fidelity digital one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re going for low-fidelity, you\u2019ll just need pencils and paper. You may also want to download and print a template which you can fill out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re going down the digital route, you can use a tool like Figma, Canva, or Miro. We outline some of the best software in the penultimate section of this post\u2014check them out once you\u2019re finished with this step-by-step guide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s your essential prep done! Now let\u2019s get underway\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Craft your scenario statement\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier in this post, we set out the key components of a UX storyboard, the first two being 1) A specific scenario, and 2) A main character.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this step, you\u2019re going to craft what we\u2019ll call your \u201cscenario statement\u201d\u2014a headline which states what the storyboard is about and who the main character is. Bear in mind that anyone reading this title should be able to deduce what\u2019s going on, even without any prior knowledge or context. So: make it meaningful and relevant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beneath the scenario statement, you can flesh out the details of your main character (i.e. your user persona). Limit this to one or two essential bullet points; you don\u2019t need to provide a full persona description, just a few extra details for context.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Draft your story in writing<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now you\u2019re going to draft your story in writing. For this step, we recommend using pen and paper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Write out each step in the story, focusing on the actions the user takes. Each little block of text should represent one step or action; these will soon become the individual frames in your storyboard.\u00a0 And, for each action, note down (or visually depict) the user\u2019s emotions\u2014for example, frustrated, confused, worried, overwhelmed, relieved, excited, and so on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s how this might play out:<\/span><i><\/i><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Roshi receives a mobile notification saying that they\u2019ve reached their overdraft limit [Emotion: worried]<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Roshi navigates to their mobile banking app and clicks \u201cSpeak to a customer service advisor\u201d [Emotion: Worried, focused]<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Roshi waits over fifteen minutes to be connected with an advisor [Emotion: Frustrated]<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Screenshot-2023-06-13-at-15.05.46-1-1-1.png\" alt=\"storyboarding example\" width=\"1260\" height=\"946\" title=\"\"><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you draft the narrative, keep in mind that each storyboard should focus on just one sequence or \u201cflow\u201d. If there are multiple stories to be told (i.e. different actions the user could take that would send them down a different pathway), you\u2019ll need to create multiple storyboards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>6. Add visuals and accompanying text<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve written out a logical and cohesive narrative; now you\u2019re going to convey that narrative visually.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In each blank frame or panel, sketch out the individual steps in your story (or, if you\u2019re using some other kind of visual representation, insert the relevant media). If you\u2019re sketching by hand, don\u2019t get too hung up on the quality of your drawings\u2014simple stick figures will do just fine!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Underneath each frame, write a brief accompanying text which explains what\u2019s going on: namely, what action the user is taking and how they feel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Repeat that process for each step in your narrative until you have a fully-fledged storyboard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>7. Present your board<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Congratulations! You\u2019ve just created a UX storyboard. Now it\u2019s time to loop back to your original goal and put your storyboard to good use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who should see your storyboard? Will you present it to key stakeholders to share, in visual form, your user research findings? Or will you use it to inform and inspire an ideation session with your fellow designers?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whatever its purpose, we\u2019re sure your UX storyboard will prove extremely valuable. Now, as promised, let\u2019s outline some of the best storyboarding software and tools.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"what-are-the-best-storyboarding-software-and-tools\"><\/a>What are the best software and tools?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re creating boards digitally and\/or collaboratively with remote or distributed teams, consider using software (or a tool with storyboarding templates and functionality).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some of the best storyboarding tools worth exploring:<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/miro.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Miro<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014a collaborative whiteboard tool, ideal for ideation sessions, workshops, design sprints, user journey mapping and, of course, storyboarding.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canva.com\/storyboards\/templates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Canva<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014a drag-and-drop graphic design tool offering a wide range of customisable templates.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.figma.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Figma<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014something of a UX design staple, Figma is a browser-based collaborative design tool which also works well for storyboarding.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.storyboardthat.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>StoryboardThat<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014not a UX design tool per se, but worth considering if you\u2019re looking for nothing more than a storyboarding program.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/boords.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Boords<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014an all-in-one storyboarding solution, complete with frame-specific commenting for streamlined feedback.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong><a id=\"in-summary\"><\/a>In summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whew! That was quite a deep dive into storyboards. We hope you enjoyed learning about this valuable UX tool and feel inspired to create your own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To recap: storyboards provide a comic strip-style visualisation of the user\u2019s experience with a product or service, mapping out each step the user takes as they interact with the product. Each depicts a specific scenario, with a user persona as the main character. The goal is to communicate your findings and ideas in a way that\u2019s visual, memorable, and engaging\u2014and, perhaps most importantly, encourages everybody to walk in the user\u2019s shoes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Storyboarding is just one of many techniques you can use to optimise your design process and create delightful, user-friendly products. For more tips and insights, learn <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/design-handoff-developers\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how to create an effective design handoff for developers here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, master the art of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/affinity-diagrams-everything-you-need-to-know\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">creating affinity diagrams with the help of this guide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or check out this post on <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how to create user journeys<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Storyboards provide a comic strip-style visualisation of the user\u2019s experience with a product or service, mapping out each step the user takes as they interact with the product. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":8513,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[278,279],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design","category-ux-explained"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8511"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10567,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8511\/revisions\/10567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}